Enrichment · Passion Projects

Save the letters
before the attic does.

Take one box or album at a time. Note where it lives and what that room does to it, look for the damage that spreads, rehouse and scan, and keep three copies of the scans. The checklist tells you what to do first and how much is scanned.

Add a box or albumWhat you get

Boxes and albums

The worked example is a made-up family archive: a bundle of 1950s letters from a hot, damp attic, and six photo albums with sticky pages. Records save on this device only.

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What you get

Enrichment · Passion ProjectsFree

What you finish with
A record per box or album with its kind, number of items, oldest year, location, temperature and humidity; nine kinds of damage; eight care steps; items scanned; notes on what the family knows; flags for mold, pests, heat, damp or dry air, sticky albums and risky storage spots; items scanned across the whole archive.
Who it is for
Students doing a family history or heritage project, families sorting a relative’s papers, and anyone keeping a household archive.
Format
Browser checklist with a saved record per collection. Prints a record, every collection or a blank form; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
Free. No account, no sign-in and nothing to install. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Passion Projects space in Caveat Enrichment.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Start with the box in the worst place, usually the attic, basement or garage.
  2. Look for mold and pests first and set those items apart.
  3. Move the rest to an inside room and into archival folders and boxes.
  4. Scan photos at 600 ppi and documents at 300 to 400 ppi, and name files by date and subject.
  5. Keep three copies of the scans, one somewhere else, and update the count.

Add a box or album

Copies that survive

Three copies, two kinds of storage, one far awayCopy 1Your computerCopy 2An external driveCopy 3Somewhere else: cloud or a relative’s houseOriginals stay in archival boxes in an inside room.Three copies, two kinds of storage, one far awayCopy 1Your computerCopy 2An external driveCopy 3Somewhere else: cloud or a relative’s houseOriginals stay in archival boxes in an inside room.
Scanning protects the information; good storage protects the original. You need both, because one fire, flood or failed drive should never be the end of a family’s record.

The room matters most

Heat speeds up the chemical decay of paper and photographs, and damp air invites mold, so a steady, cool room with moderate humidity does more than any product. Attics, basements and garages swing the most. A closet in a lived-in room is usually the best spot in a house.

When to get help

Active mold, items stuck together after water damage and badly brittle documents are jobs for a trained conservator. The American Institute for Conservation keeps a public directory. Do not tape, laminate or glue anything you want to keep.

Sources

  1. Library of Congress. Collections Care: Care, Handling and Storage of Works on Paper and of Photographs (loc.gov/preservation).
  2. U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. Preserving Your Family Records (archives.gov/preservation).
  3. Northeast Document Conservation Center. Preservation Leaflets: storage enclosures, temperature and humidity (nedcc.org).
  4. Library of Congress. Personal Digital Archiving (digitalpreservation.gov): scanning and keeping multiple copies.

The worked example is made up. This checklist gives general home care steps; it is not conservation treatment. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.